Snapshot Memories
by Destiny's-Perfection
Summary: Part 1 Complete. Drabble!Fic. Due to an accident, Harry finds himself in Fiore. Starting again is simple enough. Keeping himself amused? Not as easy as it sounds. Warning: Slash/Yaoi & Fem!Slash/Yuri.
1. Chapter 1

__A/N: No ownership. Mostly canon up to Tower Of Heaven Arc. After that shit becomes screwed.

* * *

><p><em>'Can we take a ride? Get out of this place while we still have time.'<br>_Jimmy Eat World

* * *

><p>Harry Potter's demise three years after the Battle of Hogwarts had been the most anti-climatic moment of the Boy-Who-Lived's life. He'd been contracted by the Department of Mysteries as a consultant and they had been studying The Veil at the time. An Ancient Rune book in the wrong place at the wrong time had resulted in the glorious (and hilariously clumsy) fall of one, Harry Potter, into The Veil and thrown him headfirst into Earthland and the country of Fiore. As he fell, he could only lament at the possibility of his tombstone.<p>

Harry James Potter  
>Boy-Who-Lived<br>Order of Merlin First Class  
>Escaped Gringotts, defeated Voldemort, <em>killed by literature<em>.


	2. Chapter 2

_"Scared Potter?"  
>"You wish."<em>  
>Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets<p>

* * *

><p>He hadn't minded the fall through The Veil. Life back in England had begun to lose its lustre and Harry just saw it as another adventure, this one greater than his last. He hadn't minded having to start over. A new name, a new life; it was exhilirating and made Harry feel alive, more alive than he'd felt in years. Sure he sort of felt bad that he'd left good friends behind, but they were all married, settling down; he just hadn't fit in well with the crowds of children and couples and family moments. What was really irking Harry, pissing him off to the point of snapping, was the fact that when he'd landed in Fiore, he'd been nothing more than a scrawny, knobbly-kneed five year-old. Honestly, he'd spent his whole life trying to get away from the Harry that had lived in 'The Cupboard Under The Stairs' and here he was in some Godric forsaken country in the same body that he'd thought was long forgotten.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

_'Be ye therefore as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves.'_  
>Shakespeare<p>

* * *

><p>It had taken him two years, countless hours relearning magic, a few buried bodies and a shitload of stolen Jewels, but by the end of it Harry was all for the better and the blood, sweat and tears that he'd shed to get there had been worth it. Sure he'd managed to make more than a handful of enemies along the way, but he'd also managed to hide his identity so effortlessly that no-one in their right mind would connect Lord Black, one of the richest, most reclusive eligible bachelors in the west province of Fiore with the travelling rouge, Evan Harrison. He'd learnt from the best when it came to contingency plans and who better to save the neck of Evan Harrison if he should ever (Merlin forbid) get into more trouble than he could handle than one of the 10 Wizard Saints himself, Lord Eridanus Black.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

_Serendipity: The occurence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way_  
>Oxford Dictionary<p>

* * *

><p>Becoming a Lord in the western province of Fiore had been easy. Gold and Jewels were easier to communicate with than anything else and really, that was all it had taken. A few greased hands and viola: a lordship, a mansion, permanent staff and a few enchantments of a minor scale led to his employees and the village not far from his mansion swearing that as long as the town had been established there, so too had been the Black Family.<p>

Becoming a Wizard Saint had been a mistake. He'd been in Crocus at the time, wearing the illusion of Eridanus (because he was still a skinny-limbed, tiny waif of a seven year old). He'd accidentally stumbled into a wizard's battle when he'd apparated blindly after stealing a trunk load of Jewels from a slave-trader. He'd stepped in when he'd realized that the wizard's that were winning were about to slaughter the man that the other wizard's had tried to escape. So Harry had beaten them to a pulp and left them imprisoned, unconscious and half-submerged in the closest concrete wall. He hadn't known that he'd just saved the life of the King. He did however get a clue in when, a few hours later, the King had handed him some nifty looking pin, told him he'd been promoted to one of the 10 Wizard Saints (apparently the last had died some years beforehand) and the King had promised that he alone would keep his identity. It was a bit of a whirlwind in his mind, to this day he can barely remember most of it; all he knows for certain is that at one point he'd admitted to being a wealthy Lord and he hadn't wanted to be targeted by both villainous cretins looking for easy money and villainous wizards looking for both easy money and a chance at glory (because even then, Harry had managed to pick up on the fact that being a 'Wizard Saint' or whatever was some kind of big deal). He'd tried to hand back the pin (and simultaneously tried to shrug off the robe with the same emblem as the pin that a mutated frog attendant was trying to force onto his body), but the King had insisted (though not by much because Harry wasn't dumb and even he knew that pissing off the King wasn't exactly a smart thing to do). So he'd walked out of Fiore that day with a status as the newest Wizard Saint and a sworn promise that so long as Harry upheld his duties, the King would keep his identity from the masses (and the other Wizard Saints who were apparently more curious than was healthy).


	5. Chapter 5

_"I restore myself when I'm alone."_  
>Marilyn Monroe<p>

* * *

><p>Being a Wizard Saint wasn't all that bad. He was the only Wizard Saint who wasn't associated with a guild which coincidentally also ensured that he had the most free time. Apparently what accounted for the majority of the duties for the Wizard Saints was keeping their guilds in check and holding onto their position by pumelling people who challenged their power into nothing more than pacified minions. Harry had neither guild, nor a cue of people lining up to challenge him due to the simple fact that he was the only Wizard Saint whose identity had not been made public knowledge.<p>

That was how, two years and eight months after landing in Fiore, Harry found himself both a Lord and a rouge. Life was good.


	6. Chapter 6

_"Unto eternity shall our fates be joined."_  
>Snow In The Dark<p>

* * *

><p>Erza was the first friend Evan Harrison ever made.<p>

He'd been bored at the mansion, so he'd apparated to the coast, walked to the beach and dispelled the illusion of Eridanus (who looked exactly like Evan though 20 years older). Here, he could be Evan Harrison, travelling rouge who also happened to be a wizard (though he'd keep that a secret for as long as possible). His birthday was coming up soon and he wondered what he'd do for the event.

The beach had been deserted; at this time of year, people generally stuck to the port cities because the waves were rougher and colder than they normally were for this area. He'd walked through the sand barefoot, idly studying the terrain and wondering what he would do when he became bored of being a travelling rouge. Perhaps in a few years he would join a guild, make a name for Evan Harrison as a wizard... Or maybe create a new identity, have another contingency plan _just in case_.

He hadn't been paying much attention when he'd tripped over Erza's body. Although, to be fair, she was half-submerged in water and sand so really, you couldn't exactly blame him. He'd panicked when he'd thought she was dead: dragged her away from the sun, the sand and under the nearby shade of the beginning of the trees that lined the forest. Her pulse was weak, barely beating beneath his fingers. She was battered, bruised, dressed in rags with a fraying bandage covering her right eye. Her face was puffy and dirty, so it was easy to pick out the tell-tale trails of tear marks that ran down her cheeks. He hadn't hesitated when he'd grabbed the girl and apparated as close to the nearest town as he dared. He hadn't decided on whether or not he wanted Evan Harrison to be a wizard yet, so he'd keep a low profile here for as long as he could.

Harry placed his hand over the girls forehead and a magic circle flashed briefly before it died and an illusion of a healthier (though sleeping) red-haired flared to life. He lifted her gingerly, walked to the nearest motel and paid for a single, two bed room for a week. Lying had been the easy part: they were brother and sister whose parents had recently died and were making their way towards an uncle who lived reclusively in a cabin in the woods. They had little money, so they had no chaperone but their parents had taught them enough to survive. His sister had taken to fever and they would be staying for a week to wait the fever out. After that, the owner of the motel stopped asking questions and generally left them alone, except for bringing meals to the room.

Though Harry was physically seven, he looked older thanks to a healthy diet and general exercise. This girl looked much younger than he looked, but he suspected she might be older. Malnutrition tended to do that to a body.  
>He was right.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

_"And so with all things: names were vital and important."_  
>Alergnon H. Blackwood<p>

* * *

><p>The flame-haired damsel in distress that he'd saved woke up three days after he'd found her. Woke up in a such a state of panic that Harry was surprised that she was conscious enough to summon a magic circle that had all the cutlery flying to her sides in defence. He'd managed to calm her down (after extensive dodging), explain that he'd found her on the beach and tended to her. She'd broken down then, tears streaming down her face and Harry really wanted to leave because it didn't matter if he was seven or twenty, he still didn't know how to handle emotional women.<p>

She'd told him as much as she could. She was a slave who'd recently become free after she'd had to leave her friends behind. She hadn't said much after that, save to tell him that she was heading towards Fairy Tail, a wizarding guild where she had heard she would find sanctuary and training.

Harry didn't ask more after that. Didn't press for answers when he noticed the healing scars on her wrists, or the small cuts around her neck, or the bruised and calloused hands that were much too small to be labouring.

She was sitting at the head of the bed facing the window when he walked through the door with the tray of lunch. Eating was a quiet affair, though Harry didn't mind it. He did however have something important that he needed to know. It had been five days since he'd found her.

"What's your name?"  
>She hesitated briefly.<br>"Erza."  
>"Erza?"<br>She nodded and looked up from her plate with unease.  
>"Is that your first name or your last name?"<br>She shrugged because she didn't know the answer and looked away because she felt embarrassed, red flushing her cheeks.  
>"My name's Evan Harrison. Call me Harry."<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

_"A real friend is someone who walks in when the rest of the world is walking out."_  
>Walter Winchell<p>

* * *

><p>To be honest, Harry was worried that Erza wouldn't last long. She was quiet, withdrawn, eerily still. After the pain of her past, Harry worried that Erza didn't have the will, the strength to continue living. Sure she had a dream, a goal to get to Fairy Tail (where-ever that was), but what about after that? Would she manage to integrate well back into society? Would she be able to take care of herself, have enough money for the essentials? Would she be okay?<p>

"Fairy Tail is located in Magnolia. It's a four day walk from here."  
>A sack appeared in her line of sight and was dropped lightly into her lap.<br>She looked up at Harry with interest.  
>"Some clothes, food and money. There's a farmer heading to Magnolia tomorrow morning. He's agreed to take you along as well. I've already paid him, so you shouldn't have any trouble getting there."<br>He'd considered apparating her but had ruled it out. His identity as Evan Harrison, he'd decided, would be strictly as a non-magic-using civilian.  
>Tears welled up in her eyes and Harry's fightflight instinct curled up in his stomach and made him want to dash.  
>"W-Why are you doing this?"<br>Harry gathered as much courage as he could. He'd defeated Voldemort, faced deadly wizards and always come out on top. This couldn't be that hard... Could it?  
>He sat next to her, hugged her awkwardly as she shrunk in his arms and clung to his shirt.<br>"I..." He floundered for the right thing to say, "Because that's what friends do for each other. They help each other, through the good times and the bad."  
>"A-are we friends?"<br>Erza had stopped crying by this point and was instead still in his arms.  
>"When I first found you on the beach, we were strangers." He admitted honestly, "But it's been over a week now, and four days since you tried to impale me with cutlery... If that's not friendship then I don't know what is."<br>He guffawed at the end of it and when she laughed with him, tears pouring onto his already soaked shirt all over again, he knew that she was going to be okay. Erza was strong like tempered steel. Erza had lived through Hell and it had made her stronger. She was going to be fine.


	9. Chapter 9

_"Promise me you'll never forget me because if I thought you would, I'd never leave.."_  
>Winnie The Pooh<p>

* * *

><p>When Harry said goodbye to her after their first meeting, it had been the most bittersweet moment of Erza's life.<p>

The farmer was loading his wares into the back of the carriage when they'd arrived at his house, just on the peripheries of the town. They'd taken a seat on a nearby tree stump and waited. He'd only just begun when they'd arrived.  
>Harry looked at Erza with a speculative face.<br>"When I was younger I heard a legend once."  
>When Erza stares at him, Harry's face turned from her and was staring off into the distance now, sunlight streaming over his face making him look quite unearthly.<br>"In the beginning there was chaos and darkness covered the earth. From this darkness, five divinities were born and these five divinities began to shape the world. The most important of these was Gaia, the mother Earth. Gaia gave birth to Uranus whose place was in the heavens. The Earth held up the Sky and the world knew peace. Gaia and Uranus gave birth to 12 children. Strong gods whose power was great and threatened the Sky so the Sky imprisoned his children. These children, strong and willful, came to rise against their father and overthrew him and took his place in the heavens. Later they would come to be known as the Titans."  
>"Titans?" Erza murmures, entranced.<br>Harry nodded,  
>"They were giants who ruled from the heavens. The children they bore were the strongest of the gods. They were powerful, a force to be reckoned with."<br>When Harry turns to her, his eyes sparkle with some unknown emotion that Erza can't name.  
>"You remind me of them."<br>"The Titans?"  
>He nods again.<br>She can feel her face heating up, tears pooling in her eyes.  
>"H-How?"<br>He smiles at her, clearly noticing her distress but choosing instead to not comment.  
>"Your strength. Your determination. Your refusal to stop or quit. Your absolute conviction that everything will turn out fine."<br>She practically falls into his lap at the words. Harry stills and pats her head lightly, pretending not to notice that she's crying again.

It had been hard saying goodbye to him. By the time they reached Fairy Tail, all she'd really wanted to do was jump back in the carriage and return back to Harry; where everything was warm and safe and comforting. She doesn't.

Years later, when Erza earns the title of 'Titania' she bears the moniker like a badge of honor thinking, as always, of Harry.


	10. Chapter 10

_"If Fate is a wheel, we are the cogs that drive it."_  
>Bleach<p>

* * *

><p>It was a little bit over a year later when Harry decided to see how Erza was doing. He'd considered seeing her sooner but he'd been busy building up the Black fortune and generally being lazy so he'd kept putting the visit off. Travelling to Magnolia had been as simple as chanelling magic into his body and then wielding the magic circle beneath his feet to force open the time-space continuum and then using it to send his body from Point A (Black Manor) to Point B (Magnolia). It was the same principle that involved using a wand, but magic was different in Fiore and this time around he actually had to think and understand what exactly it was that he was doing. It had been a headache having to relearn everything down to the most minutest of detail, but it had been worth it. Magic here was so much more interesting. Flexible in some ways and more rigid in others. He'd managed to create magic circles for most of the spells that he'd used in his previous life (see: Harry Potter), so he wasn't too upset about not having the same degree of diversity that a wand offered.<p>

Harry found her on the banks of a river. He wasn't too sure where they were in relation to anything else (what with this being his first time to Magnolia) and he didn't really care; he just sat down next to her.  
>She startled at his presence and jumped in her spot when she realized who it was.<br>Erza looked a lot better. She was taller, wider; growth suited her well and Harry could see that her years of malnutrition would not leave the same mark that it had on him the first time around. She would be tall by the looks of it, and that made Harry almost want to laugh. The Titans, after all, had been giants.  
>"How's Fairy Tail treating you?"<br>He'd done his research in the past year, even if he hadn't been able to see her, so he knew that the blue tattoo that peaked out from her shirt under the breast plate she wore was the tell-tale sign of the Fairy Tail wizard guild. She lifted the sleeve and bared the mark for him to see. After he nodded she relaxed and pulled the sleeve back down.  
>"It's... Interesting."<br>She went quiet.  
>"Made any new friends?"<br>She shook her head vigorously at the question.  
>"I don't need friends. I-" The words died in her mouth when she saw the sceptical look on Harry's face.<br>She'd only known him for a week but even a year later and she still thinks about him on most days. She'd lie to anyone else, but not Harry, never Harry.  
>"There is... A boy. He is quite persistent in challenging me after I... Was curt and abrupt when he introduced himself."<br>When he stands to leave, brushing the dirt from his hands, he ruffles her hair and winks down at her,  
>"Give the poor boy a chance, Erza. You never know, he might be good for you."<br>When he smiles down at her, Erza can see that there is more that he isn't saying... And he doesn't need to. She knows that Harry just wants her to have friends.  
>She'll try. Even if it is only for Harry.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

_"You know Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on many accounts... but you cannot deny he's got style..."_  
>Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix<p>

* * *

><p>After that Harry makes it a point to see Erza at least once every four months. Sometimes it goes longer, because Harry loses himself in the work he has to get done as a Lord and sometimes Harry loses himself on the journey when he's travelling as Evan Harrison, and sometimes Harry loses himself in the monotany of being alone that he forgets about Erza.<p>

One year later, Harry gives Erza a present. He's been working on it for months on end, trying to get it perfect, the exact shade of colour that was needed; he'd managed it by the time he apparated to Magnolia and found her in the same spot on the bank of the river that she tended to favour.  
>He doesn't sit because he can't stay long. At this point they're both staring off into the distance, watching as the sun sinks lower.<br>"Gray and Natsu have been fighting quite extensively since Natsu joined the guild. It is tiring, constantly breaking them up."  
>"But you do it anyway?"<br>"Gray is my friend and comrade."  
>"And Natsu?"<br>Her smile is small, but Harry can see that the boy has left his mark on her.  
>"I am beginning to like him."<br>They lapse back into silence and as always, it is not uncomfortable.  
>When he is just about to leave, he takes the box from his pocket and drops it into her lap, taking her by surprise.<br>Her questioning look is one of confusion.  
>"Open it."<br>She gasps when she sees it, eyes opening widely when she feels the magic that it emits in small soft waves. Beneath it are a small stack of papers.  
>"It's a magical eye. It can see through most illusions that are based on eye contact and should be able to help you sense higher-powered illusions that you might want to avoid. The papers are to help you prepare the magic circle to integrate it into your body."<br>When he turns to walk away, he reaches down and ruffles her head, sending red strands flying.  
>He doesn't wait for her to say anything, just smiles down at her and walks away.<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

_"Not all who wander are lost."  
><em>J.R.R. Tolkien

* * *

><p>Because Lord Eridanus Black was a reclusive person by nature, he had limited contact with the outside world. Sure he had business dealings with local family owned shops and a few contracts with merchants, but outside of that he rarely made an appearance in the public eye. It was because of this that, by the time Harry turned 10 (physically), his life worked like a well-maintained clock.<p>

He made one single appearance as Lord Black in the morning to his household before disappearing for the rest of the day. If he had any meetings or business dealings, he would schedule them for the morning and have them over and done with before it reached noon. An apparition and disillusionment later and Evan Harrison, 10 year old travelling rouge, was back in action, seeing the sights and exploring the world.

At first he'd been hesitant to travel in his actual form. Children were vulnerable after all and were more likely to be preyed upon. Turns out he had no need to worry because only wizard children really travelled alone. That was more than a good enough deterant from the average criminal and even if it wasn't, his exceptional hand-to-hand combat skills had more than made up for that.

Harry had never been one for physical violence. Magic made fighting practically impersonal, but he'd found that he couldn't afford that luxury here. Here, magic was so much more natural, so much more in synch with a wizard that the only way to increase magical potential was to simultaneously train the body as well as the mind. Sure he'd raged at the fact when it had first dawned on him, but he was grateful soon enough when he could hold his own against a grown man without resorting to magic. It made him feel more accomplished to know that even without magic, he was more than capable of protecting himself.


	13. Chapter 13

_"For disappearing acts it's hard to beat what happens to the eight hours supposedly left after eight of sleep and eight of work."_  
>Doug Larson<p>

* * *

><p>"Well, well, well." He drawls, "If it isn't the Fairy Queen herself, 'Titania' Erza Scarlet."<br>Harry isn't prepared when she turns and throws herself into his arms. His arms wrap around her, still not entirely comfortable with such physical affection.  
>"Where were you?" She murmurs softly.<br>He grimaces at the hurt in her voice and he has to admit that he was an idiot for going so long without seeing her. Harry had recently turned 13 and it had been a year and a half since he'd last seen her. He'd been kept busy expanding his social network and contact list. In the past year Evan Harrison has made quite a name for himself in the undercurrents of Fiore. He's the guy you talk to when you're looking for someone, or something. He has connections to most small-time and some big-time criminals and even has the ears of some government officials.  
>"Around. How have you been?"<br>"The same. Gray and Natsu are still fighting, Mirajane is still annoying trash, Master thinks that in a few years I might be able to go up to the second storey for S-Class jobs."  
>"That's good."<br>"Yeah."  
>They go quiet after that and Harry reminds himself that just disappearing for a year without a word to Erza had been cruel. He tells himself he won't do it again.<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

_"You tell me this will be the last night feeling like this."  
><em>Skillet

* * *

><p>The first time Harry falls into bed with a stranger, he is Evan Harrison, 16 years old and a complete mess for the first time in his life. The job he'd just returned from had been horrific. The King had tasked Lord Eridanus Black to join forces with various other wizards to take down different towers located around the world that were known as the 'R-System'. The team that he led personally was given the location of one tower and tasked to destroy it. He'd thought it would be simple. It was.<p>

When they'd arrived on the shores of the forbidding island, Eridanus was stunned. The tower loomed so high over their heads that it seemed almost as if it reached towards the heavens. Disabling the guards and the guard dogs was simple enough. Bringing down the tower had been even easier. It was when they were freeing the slaves that Harry realized how horrific this tower actually was.  
>They all wore familiar rags that took Eridanus back to a small red-haired child washed up on the shores of Fiore's west coast. They all bore the same scarred wrists, calloused hands, the same look of fear and resignation.<br>The cells were clean enough, despite the situation. It was the holding chambers at the bottom most and top most levels that made him sick to his stomach. The bottom levels were where they had apparently decided to pile the dead. The rooms were large and spacious and floor to ceiling, wall to wall, a man could not look anywhere without there being a pile of half-rotting corpses. It had made him sick to his stomach to estimate that the numbers totalled more than 5,000. At the very top most levels however, the atrocities did not cease. There were babies, children, young men and women who were scattered along the upper levels, drained of all their magic and dying a slow and pitiful death. Most of them were lacking a limb or two, some were missing facial features. It is here that Eridanus realizes that these are the only slaves who are not whole in body. It is at this moment that Eridanus realizes that Erza had been one such slave.  
>Toppling down the tower is simple. By the time it needs to be destroyed Eridanus is already so livid, so angry, so murderous with rage that breaking the tower to rubble is the least of his worries.<br>When he apparates back to Black Manor later that night, he finds sleep elusive. He thinks of Erza, rotting away as a sacrifice for some Merlin-be-damned fanatical cult. He thinks of the dead bodies that amassed because of Voldemort's own zealous followers. He thinks that everywhere he goes, death stalks his shadow. He's given up on sleep by then and dispells the illusion of Eridanus and apparates away to Oshibana. When he walks into a run-down bar in the seedier part of town, Evan Harrison orders drink after drink and tries to find peace at the bottom of every glass. By midnight he realizes he's too drunk to apparate back to Black Manor. A few minutes later and he's checking into a nearby motel with the cute blonde bartender wrapped around his body.  
>When they fall into bed it is mad and furious and primal. She scratches, bites, leaves marks that will stay with him for days; Harry gives back as good as he gets. She's bruised by the time he fucks her, but she seems to love it, revels in it even and when he thrusts against her body, rutting harshly, painfully, she screams for more and demands it from him. He clamps a hand over her mouth and forces her to be quiet. She retaliates by biting his hand and crushing their lips together, nipping, biting, drawing blood. It feels like flying almost, this brief moment of intense instinctual heat. When they eventually pass out on the bed, Harry falls asleep without the nightmares to haunt him.<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

_"Didn't want you to see me cry. I'm fine."  
>"But I know it's a lie."<em>  
>Skillet<p>

* * *

><p>He hadn't bothered to ask for a name from the blonde. Simply left the next morning and apparated to Magnolia. Erza was on her way back from a job, just passing the outskirts of Magnolia and heading towards the guild house.<br>"You don't look very well."  
>"Hmmm."<br>She can smell the alcohol on him. The bags under his bloodshot eyes and the bruises peaking through the sleeves of his shirt leave nothing to the imagination. She decides to avoid asking about it.  
>"I killed a few monsters that were terrorizing an isloated village."<br>"How was it?"  
>"Simple enough. The pay was good."<br>"That's good."  
>They lapse into silence as they make their way through the crowded streets.<br>Two roads away from the guild house, Harry pulls Titania into a bone-crushing hug that leaves her perplexed. She would have to be deaf, blind and dumb not to have noticed Harry's aversion to intimate contact. He breathes in her scent, memorizing it, committing it to memory.  
>"Are you okay?"<br>Her arms are around him, letting him know that she's here and that she's okay. She's gotten taller. They're almost the same height.  
>"Just... A bad day."<br>"Okay."  
>She doesn't press for answers and they freeze like that, clutching each other for a moment that seems to last forever, and doesn't Harry wish it would.<br>When he breaks away and turns to leave, she can see that he is looking better, happier and she is glad. Harry has always been her hero, her knight in shining armour. She couldn't stand seeing Harry in such a state. It wasn't right.


	16. Chapter 16

_"With all of my being, I had never loved until her."_  
>Full-Metal Alchemist<p>

* * *

><p>Harry loves Erza implicitly. He loves her with all of his heart and all of his being and he knows that there is nothing in the world that he would not give to see her happy. He is more than aware that some of this passion he feels for her is due to the fact that aside from Erza he does not have any close friends. He has plenty of acquaintances, more than enough business associates but none of them can compare to Erza.<p>

He has never felt this way before about anyone. Not with Ron or Hermione or even Ginny when they had been dating. He feels the uncontrollable urge to be near her, the conviction to protect her, to keep her safe from harm. If anything happened to Erza, Harry thinks that he may never be the same.


	17. Chapter 17

_"I have in my hands the means and in my heart the will."_  
>Death Note<p>

* * *

><p>The first time Harry hears the mention of a 'Celestial Wizard' he is 17 and he overhears the mention in passing. Subtle enquiries result in an astounding discovery. There are two types of wizards in this world and one of them just happens to use a medium to access magic. He is ecstatic when he hears this, so much so that he enters the nearest magic shop and buys the first key he finds. He realizes that perhaps more information is needed when he forces the key to open a celestial gate only to have the gate explode in his face. It takes him three days to recover from the burns before he begins his research.<p>

Harry discovers quite early on that a Celestial Wizards power is useless to him. Not only are his magic circles not limited to a specific type of magic as other wizards are, but he is incapable of holding a celestial gate open for very long because his magic tended to overpower the key and create a backlash that exploded the gate in his face and left him injured and without a celestial being in sight. He gave up after the fourth try.

The fact remained however, that Celestial Wizards wielded a power that he was not sure he could face. A celestial beings powers were enhanced by their contractor. The stronger the contraor, the stronger the celestial being and the more celestial beings a contractor could call forth at any one time. The concept of the Zodiac Keys grips Harry's interest though, so intensely that he laments quite avidly over the fact that he would never be able to wield them. It takes Harry four months to come up with any type of counter-measure against celestial wizards. It takes another six before he perfects it.

It is a combination of runic and blood magic (the kind of magic one would normally find in Wizarding Britain rather than Fiore) that culminates in Harry's week long coma. Over-use of magic tended to take its toll on a body and Harry had used every last reserve that he'd had to complete the process. When he studies the 12 runes carved around his left wrist, he falls back asleep with a wide grin on his face.

In all honesty, it was nothing more than a bastardisation of the 12 Zodiac Keys. Harry doesn't care though, he's giddy with glee when, a month after his coma, his magic is finally replenished enough to summon his first Zodiac. He activates the rune of Gemini and when it glows brightly from where it is etched into his skin, a magic circle appears just metres away from him.

They emerge from the circle head first. Rising slowly out of the ground like monsters from the depths of hell. They wear no weapons, only simple clothing that is as mundane as the background behind them. They are blank of face, still in posture, seeming almost like statues when they finally emerge fully, feet planted firmly on the floor. Harry frowns. Perhaps he had not completed the process as perfectly as he'd thought. He throws a surge of power from his hand into a nearby chair. A magic circle flares beneath the seat before it flings itself at the twins. Before the chair can impact the first twin, the boy holds up a hand and an invisible pulse makes the piece of furniture disappear. The second twin raises his opposite hand and emits the same pulse from before. The chairs re-appears from thin air, still in midflight and crashes headfirst into the nearest wall.  
>"Interesting." Mutters Harry, idly contemplating the twins and the ease at which they used portals.<br>"Very interesting."


	18. Chapter 18

_"Let the world know you are you are, not as you think you should be."_  
>Fannie Brice<p>

* * *

><p>The first time Erza has a crush, she refuses to tell Harry about it and he revels in teasing her into red-faced frustration. She merely states that the person was a fellow guild member. It is a week later when she confesses that the crush had died and contempt had settled in. Apparently the guild member was an alcoholic, a vice that Erza held much disdain for.<p>

"Who is it?"  
>Erza is 20 by now and their friendship has lasted over ten years. They're eating at a cafe near the edge of town. Harry can't stay long because Eridanus has a business meeting in an hour with a nearby merchant family who was attempting to buy into his fortune by marrying off their eldest daughter. He'd have to let them down gently because he disliked both the notion of marriage and of losing his business contract with the fellow Lord.<br>"What?"  
>"Who do you have a crush on?"<br>When she looks away red-faced, Harry smirks.  
>"I-I have no idea what you are talking about."<br>"Hmm."  
>He lets her finish her tea before resumes the conversation.<br>"Do I at least get to know his name?"  
>Erza's face is unreadable when she stares at him and it is with hesitation that she murmurs,<br>"Her."  
>"Beg your pardon?"<br>"Her name."  
>She mumbles it as though afraid.<br>Harry's smile is wide and bright when he flicks her in the forehead.  
>"Do I get to know her name then? Is she pretty? Bet she's real cute, huh? You wouldn't settle for anything less."<br>Erza's face relaxes before she turns away sharply,  
>"Shut up."<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

_"And this time I'm not leaving without you."_  
>Lady Gaga<p>

* * *

><p>When Harry apparates to Magnolia and is unable to find Erza, it doesn't bother him in the least. He simply apparates back to Hosenka and settles for finding mild amusement in tracking down a local slave-trader and stealing his money.<p>

Magnolia is empty of Erza twice before Harry starts worrying. She has always been a capable wizard and an exceptional fighter. Despite what he tells himself, Harry's unease is still running rampant when he finds himself breaking into Fairy Tail that night and rifling through the logs kept by the Master detailing which wizard had taken on which mission.

Three hours later, Harry is hefting an unconscious Erza from the floors of a prison cell 480 kilometres north of Lupinus. They are almost out of the enemies stronghold when Erza stirs and forces herself to stand without aid.

"I-I need to finish my mission." She's struggling to breathe but Harry doesn't offer her assistance.  
>"Fine."<br>Erza nods at his acquiesance and he merely treks after her retreating figure when she starts running towards the heart of the stronghold.

Erza's ease with carrying the gigantic tooth of the monster that she had slain was almost comical. She bore the brunt of the weight on her shoulder and held it in place with a single hand.  
>"You sure you don't want me to carry it?"<br>Erza's scoff is sceptical and mocking.  
>They fall into easy silence as they make their trek back towards Magnolia.<br>"It's pretty amusing when you come to think of it. The villagers hired you to protect them from the thieves. The thieves were actually prisoners who were being forced to steal to keep that monster fed and they knocked you out to protect you from being the monster's next meal."  
>"Hmm."<br>Silence, again.  
>"Why did you come?"<br>Harry doesn't miss a beat when he meets her eyes,  
>"I was worried."<br>She smiles.  
>"I know you can handle yourself. You're perfectly independant. It doesn't stop me from worrying though when I can't find you in Magnolia for weeks on end."<br>Erza hums in agreement. Harry was worried and had only wanted to see if she was okay. He hadn't tried to fight her battles for her, hadn't tried to get in the way. Instead, he had held back and simply watched her complete her mission. He loved her enough to know that she needed to fight her own battles. She is grateful that he can understand her so well.  
>Erza doesn't bother asking how Harry knew where to find her.<br>"But... Don't you think it was a bit much... What the villagers did?"  
>Erza can only laugh in agreement. The precious gems decorating the huge monsters tooth that she now carried was definitely more than she was expecting.<p> 


	20. Chapter 20

_"Some things are better than sex and some are worse, but there's nothing exactly like it."_  
>W.C. Fields<p>

* * *

><p>Harry can't help it when three weeks after falling into bed with the blonde bar-tender from Oshibana he finds himself repeating his mistake. Not even two days on Akane Island and he's already following a brunette bombshell back to her hotel room away from the hustle and bustle of the hotel casino; anxious, anticipating and hungry.<br>The time they spend together is fleeting and involves mostly physical intimacy and limited talking. It seems to be little more than a repeat of the last time. There is no gentleness or care when they copulate, only heated aggravation and a thirst for the intoxicating cocktail of pleasure and pain. The next day Harry is out of her hotel room at the break of dawn; no remorse, no guilt, no regret. He never asked her for a name.

It's a vice that quickly turns into an addiction and then secedes into just another form of entertainment to alleviate boredom. Soon enough gender becomes a non-issue and sex, whether with men or women, starts to mean a lot less than it should to Harry; in all honesty he couldn't give a damn.

Harry doesn't talk about his flings with Erza, but she knows. It's hard not to notice the bruises, scars, hickeys or the fact that he's never in any one town for longer than a few days.

"You okay?"  
>He still has the last vestiges og a hangover shrouding his face and Erza is far from impressed.<br>It's obvious that she's not talking about his physical health. He knows that she's only worried about his behaviour as of late. He doesn't even think twice when he tells her the truth. This is Erza, after all, and he could never lie to her.  
>"No... I don't think I am."<br>She settles for silence instead of answering and Harry is glad that there are no reproaches. When her hand takes his, he smiles to himself.


	21. Chapter 21

_"What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh no, it's curved like a road through mountains."  
><em>Tennessee Williams

* * *

><p>The first time Harry falls into bed with a man, he is genuinely surprised at the fact that he is not intoxicated in the least.<p>

He'd been at a bar in Clover gathering information on a missing sister that an acquaintance had enquired about. The job was simple enough and within ten minutes of entering the establishment he already had her new alias and an address. He'd stayed a while longer chatting with the regulars of the bar that he knew, catching up and exchanging tid-bits of information that may or may not have been useful.  
>When Arika leans over the table to ask Evan for a favour, their eyes meet. He's at the bar, reclining on the marble-top with a beer bottle in one hand and a cigarette in the other. When their eyes clash over the top of Arika's head, Harry is hard-pressed to fight the blush steadily making it's way up his body when the stranger throws him an arrogant smirk, a wink and a quick lip of the lips.<br>Ten minutes later and the stranger is practically eye-fucking him the way he trails his gaze over every inch of Evan's body. When Evan leaves, he's not surprised that the man from the bar follows.

Not even twenty minutes later and they're checking into a nearby motel, barely suppressing their need to touch and feel and fuck. The minute the door is closed behind them, Harry starts ripping off the stranger's clothes. He manages to shove him up against the door but is taken aback when in an instant their positions are swapped and his back is hitting the door as the man tears through his shirt before grabbing Harry by the back of his thighs and hoisting him up. Harry doesn't know what to do but wrap his legs around the perfectly sculpted waist of this heaven sent stranger and thrust into the uncontrollable heat that purges through his body.  
>It's different being with a man. There is no softness, no compliance; it's all hard angles and sculpted muscles. He doesn't submit to Harry's will the way his past paramours have; instead, he fights tooth and nail to dominate. Harry's always liked it rough but this is so much more intense, so much more animalistic and primal that he doesn't care that it hasn't even been five minutes before he's thrown onto the bed and he finds himself gasping for breath when a hot mouth works him to finish. It's the first time Harry see's stars when he climaxes.<p> 


	22. Chapter 22

_"Some women can't say the word 'lesbian'. Even when their mouth is full of one."_  
>Kate Clinton<p>

* * *

><p>"Lucy."<br>"Hmm?"  
>"Lucy."<br>"Oh... The new one, right? The Celestial Wizard."  
>When Erza nods, face flushing the same colour as her hair, Harry laughs loudly.<br>"She cute?"  
>Erza's jerky shake of the head is enough to let Harry know that inside the Fairy Tail Queen is dying.<br>"She's- It's different with her."  
>It's a serious conversation they're having when Erza turns confused eyes to Harry. He doesn't really know what he's meant to do but he listens with an open ear and an equally open heart.<br>"She's... Beautiful. Smart, considerate, funny... She's..."  
>"Perfect?"<br>"I..."  
>"Maybe you should tell her how you feel?"<br>The mortification on Erza's face at his suggestion is too much for him to bear.  
>"When you feel ready, that is."<br>She agrees shakily and they lapse back into silence. When Harry gently clasps her trembling hand, she doesn't turn to him nor does she say a word. He squeezes it, letting her know that he is there for her. It amazes her how well he still knows her after all these years.


	23. Chapter 23

_"Maybe part of loving is learning to let go."_  
>The Wonder Years<p>

* * *

><p>The first time Harry falls in love it is short lived. Erza already knows the story, had been told the minute Harry had returned from Hageon.<p>

Her name was Viletta and she'd been the daughter of a sailor. Her meek stature and mousy appearance had been a great contrast to her vicious temper and volatile personality. Harry had realized he loved her the minute she threw him out of the restaurant her mother ran. Their love affair had been brief, as most love affairs are. He'd fallen hard and fast and likewise the same had happened to her. It was doomed for failure before it had even began.  
>Harry was a traveller by nature, he couldn't stand to be in once place for too long and Viletta had family in Hageon, she had a job, a life, stability. Eventually the two split after a rather livid argument that left Villetta white-faced and screaming. Harry had called it quits the minute he stormed out of her house, apparating to Magnolia at 3 AM and tracking down an 18 year-old Erza to rage to.<br>She'd leant a sympathetic ear before telling him to either get over her and move on or get over himself and go crawling back. He decided on the former and Erza had promptly thrown him out of her room claiming her need for sleep without his constant bitching.


	24. Chapter 24

_"Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?"_  
>Frank Scully<p>

* * *

><p>The second time Harry falls in love it doesn't start off so smoothly.<p>

Their first meeting is bewildering. Evan Harrison had been tasked by Arika, a close acquaintance, to investigate the rumours of a band of rouge thieves in the alps of the mountains over a hundred kilometres to the south of Magnolia. Arika was worried that her younger brother had joined the gang of thieves and had offered Harry to double her payment if he managed to find him, triple if he managed to drag him back.  
>He'd left the main road a few days back and was instead following the magic circle that glowed brightly over the palm of his right hand. It was a modification of the 'Point Me' spell wherein the circle tugged the user in the direction of the object or person he was attempting to find. There were limitations to the spell but luckily for him, Arika's brother had not adopted an alias, changed his facial features or was a magic-user.<br>When a human body falls onto Harry from above, he can't help but curse his luck. When he manages to shrug the body off of him so that he can wriggle out from underneath, Harry is livid. He's tempted to leave the idiot to rot in the snow but his better judgment doesn't allow for it. It's easy enough to hoist the man over his shoulders, cast a mild warming charm magic circle and keep following the tug of his magic, urging him towards Axel, Arika's brother.  
>It's a two day hike before the man starts stirring. Harry is shocked and annoyed when he wakes abruptly, tossing Harry to the ground before bringing to life a magic circle in his hand clasping a flaming fist dangerously close to Harry's face.<br>It's simple enough to explain how Harry had come across him ("You fell on me, asshole.") and it takes only a few minutes before the man has apologized, thanked him and is dashing off through the snow in the opposite direction. Harry is left shaking his head in the wake of the stranger's departure.

Their second meeting is just as surprising. A week later Harry stumbles into the hideout of the thieves only to stop and stare in amazement. A hundred bodies are lined up and bound in the foyer and the only man left standing is the pink-hairedm slant-eyed stranger that had left Harry's life the same he had entered it, quite abruptly.  
>It doesn't take long before Harry's explaining why he's there and sifting through the unconscious bodies searching for Axel. He finds Arika's brother soon enough and they decide to leave together, both heading towards Magnolia.<p>

Harry shrugs the unconscious form of Axel onto his shoulders and is hit with a strong sense of deja vu. When he finds himself comfortable enough he turns to the door and starts the journey back to Magnolia, the strange youth from before at his side.  
>"I'm Evan by the way." He throws an award-winning smile to the pink-haired youth and smirks inwardly when he notices the light flush of his cheeks.<br>"Natsu... Dragneel."  
>The name seems vaguely familiar to Harry, but he brushes it aside. He's met so many people in his travels that he's stopped trying to memorize names unless he's prepared to do business with them.<p>

Apparently Natsu had been scouring the mountains with his partner, Happy, when Natsu had sent Happy back to Magnolia to confirm that they had the right location for the thieves guild that they had been tasked to disband. Natsu liked Evan's laid-back nature and Harry liked the different shades of red that Natsu could turn.

Two days before they are scheduled to reach Magnolia, Harry and Natsu stop at a local inn to hand back Axel to his older sister. She pays him the agreed upon price before leaving. It's dark when she starts her trek so it only makes sense when Harry and Natsu agree to call it a day and rest at the inn. They've gotten on well the past few days that they've been travelling together. Natsu was younger than Harry, experienced in fighting but naive when it came to relationships. It was quite easy to pick up on the fact that Natsu had somehow developed a bit of a crush on Harry.

"Sorry, we've only got one room available for tonight."  
>The innkeeper seems sincere so Harry doesn't mind when he forks out double to book the last available room; a one-bedroom suite that was quite pricey.<br>"That's fine."  
>When they make it to the room it is already past midnight and Harry's body is laced with fatigue.<br>"You take the bed."  
>Harry grabs a pillow and throws it onto the floor. He makes himself comfortable and is just about to surrender to sleep when he realizes that Natsu is staring at him from the bed.<br>"What?"  
>The faint blush on the boy's cheeks is cute. Harry would have jumped at the chance if it wasn't for the fact that he wasn't very interested in 'cute'.<br>"There's-Umm.. There's plenty of space on the bed."  
>He runs the words together almost as if he's afraid to speak them. He's right though; the bed is clearly king-sized and could easily fit the both of them.<br>Harry weighs the pro's and con's. He can see Natsu fighting hard not to fidget, notices the light pinkening of his face and the way his eyes can't seem to stop travelling up and down Harry's bare chest. He knows that if he agrees he will also be agreeing to much more than just sleeping. When Harry rises from the floor to settle on to the bed, it is not because he finds Natsu physically attractive and it is not because he particularly wants to sleep with the boy. He mainly does it because he hasn't gotten laid in over a month and he's horny as hell. Harry lays on the bed, stretching out his body and turns on his side to stare at Natsu. If Natsu wants to pursue this further then it is up to the younger man to initiate it.

The first move is a bold one and Natsu almost falters when his hand meets chiselled flesh and he begins stroking Harry's side. Harry gives him a moment to adjust before he retaliates. In minutes he has the younger boy writhing beneath him, their mouths locked in an intense duel that leaves Natsu light-headed and giddy. When the boy starts keening for more Harry starts travelling south with his mouth, slowly divesting him of his shirt. When he reaches Natsu's navel, fingers easily undoing his pants, he feels the young boy flinch beneath him.  
>When their eyes clash, Natsu looks away first, face heated.<br>"Is... Is this your first time?"  
>Harry tries not to let his exasperation show in voice. At Natsu's nod he groans audibly and buries his face into the toned stomach of the boy beneath him.<br>"How old are you?"  
>"18."<br>Harry lets the pause last longer than it should.  
>"How old are you really?"<br>He turns his face upward and smiles at Natsu to let him know that he isn't mad.  
>"16." The youth beneath him admits.<br>Harry's mouth goes dry and he moans into Natsu's washboard abs.  
>Harry knows the right thing to do. He should stop this right here and leave. He tended to avoid virgin's and he'd never been a fan of jailbait. Unfortunately for him, he was thinking with the wrong head. All he saw was the exquisite piece of man-flesh, half-naked, laid out before him like an offering from the gods. Harry doesn't even consider leaving; simply lets his mouth fall back to Natsu's and initiates the kiss slowly, taking his time.<p>

It's the first time in Harry's life that he's ever treated a sexual partner like they were made of glass, but this is Natsu's first time and Harry doesn't want to fuck it up for the boy.  
>When they are both finally divested of clothing, Natsu is so close to climaxing that he can't imagine anything else feeling better. When Harry's lips close over his throbbing member, Natsu doesn't last a second before he's blowing his load into the hot mouth of the older man.<p> 


	25. Chapter 25

_"Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment."  
><em>Ralph Waldo Emerson

* * *

><p>When Natsu books the room again for a further two days, Harry doesn't mind. It was just two days and what could possibly go wrong in two days?<br>The younger man had been timid in the beginning, learning as they went. By the next morning Harry had a fully sex-crazed kitten on his hands.

Two days later finds Harry standing in front of the bathroom mirror cursing out his reflection.  
>"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck."<br>He slams a fist through the mirror and is thankful that he'd had the common sense to throw a silencer (a pinkesh-orange magic circle that was almost bare in it's construction) at the door. A flick of his hand, a flash of a white magic circle and the mirror is repaired. His hand though is another matter. The shards of glass from his fist are gone but the scars are slow in healing.  
>Harry feels the vibrations of knocking on the door and cancels the magic circle.<br>"-okay?"  
>"Be out in a minute." He calls through.<br>He forces magic into his scars and watches as the skin knits itself back together.  
>When he exits Natsu is seated on the bed, the sheets bunched up about his waist, wearing a hesitant smile on his face. Even after the days that they've spent together, Natsu still acted like a blushing virgin half the time; although the other half of the time the pink-haired boy was like a sex-starved nymphomaniac. Harry liked the drastic mood swings; it tended to keep him on his toes and it drew him even more to Natsu, kept Harry interested for far longer than any of his past lovers had.<br>He makes his way to the bed, drawing Natsu into his arms along the way and pressing a chaste kiss against his forehead. When he looks down at the resting boy draped over his body he can't help but glare at the dark red tattoo stamped on Natsu's shoulder. The same tattoo that Erza herself wore with pride.

It was an unspoken agreement between Erza and Harry that neither pried too far into each others lives outside of their meetings. Erza refrained from calling Harry out on his shady dealings (she didn't have proof, but she knew for a fact that Harry was far from an upstanding citizen) and Harry didn't ask any intrusive questions about Fairy Tail or its guild members; merely took what Erza said for gospel and left it at that.

It hadn't taken him long to realize that Natsu Dragneel was the same Natsu that Erza counted as a close friend. He'd cursed himself out in his mind when he finally put the two and two together. He wanted to kill himself when he realized that, just hours before they were due to check out, he'd somehow fallen for the younger man somewhere along the way.


	26. Chapter 26

_"I want these gentle hands and this kind smile... Even though I know I should not want such a thing."  
><em>Vampire Knight

* * *

><p>"Evan?"<br>"Hmm?"  
>He's deep in thought, staring off into space. He's drawn to Natsu in such a way that it takes him back to Viletta and the tragic love affair that he'd put in his past. Natsu is not the same as Viletta though. Viletta had been a furious maelstrom of emotions that Harry had been fascinated with. Natsu... Natsu was different. In the wake Viletta's destructive power over Harry, Natsu was like the dawn of a new day. A passionate, fiery youth that sparkled like the sun and drew Harry in like a moth to a flame.<br>"What... What is this?"  
>In his arms Harry can feel Natsu's body start to heat in embarrassment.<br>"What do you mean?"  
>"I-I like you. A lot."<br>Harry gives a resigned sigh.  
>"Yeah. Me too."<br>There is silence as Harry tries to find the right words. He wants Natsu so badly that it almost hurts but he is also painfully aware that Natsu is young and impressionable. Harry can't claim him when he is such a novice when it comes to love and life.  
>"I want you." He begin honestly, "But you're young. You have your whole life ahead of you. I'm the kind of person who's in it for the long haul and I'm not about to shackle you to a future when you've barely even begun yours."<br>"But I want to be with you too."  
>Harry presses gentle lips to his mouth before he can make further protests.<br>"You need to live more, love more, see more of the world. Find out what you want in yourself and from a partner. Discover your wants and your needs. Differentiate the difference between love and lust, attraction and attention."  
>Harry pauses and he locks eyes with Natsu, forcing him to take this seriously, to understand that Harry is only doing this for his own good. When he speaks again there is a power to his words.<br>"There used to be a saying: If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours to keep. If you feel the same way in a few years and we meet again, then we'll know for sure that it's meant to be."

When they make love for the last time Harry realizes that there is no-one in the world who could possibly measure up to Natsu Dragneel. It is slow and pacing, they take their time memorizing each other's bodies, the sounds they make as they find the right spot. When Harry takes Natsu, the younger man offers himself willingly. So much so that he starts losing his control and when Harry pins his hands above his head Natsu growls and whines as fire begins forming at his hands, slowly creeping its way up through Harry's fingers stretching towards his elbows.  
>Natsu's eyes are shocked when he looks up to where Harry's attention is drawn. He pulls his control away from his lover, starts drawing the flames back into him, in the opposite direction of Harry.<br>"Don't."  
>"Wh-What?"<br>Harry's eyes are filled with lust and when he grinds his hips down against Natsu's, the younger man starts panting heavily.  
>"I want to see you lose control. I want you. All of you."<br>Gray's eyes are uncertain at first. When Harry's hand flares with a light red magic circle and starts travelling down his chest trailing small flames over the youth's stops worrying and instead lets himself revel in the sensations. No holding back, no inhibitions, no control.  
>When they both reach their peak fireworks explode, the world becomes still and the bed has been reduced to a pile of smouldering ash. Natsu faces burns red over that fact and Harry can only laugh.<p> 


	27. Chapter 27

_"We were never meant to be, baby, we just happened."_  
>Kanye West<p>

* * *

><p>It takes exactly nine seconds in Erza's presence before Harry's spilled everything to her. He doesn't even wait for her to greet him before all of it is rushing through his system trying to find a release. He doesn't give her a name, just tells her about his three day love affair with a member of her guild. She doesn't press for any more than he is willing to give. It reminds her of Viletta all over again, only this time, Harry seemed to have fallen a lot harder than expected.<br>"And?"  
>"And I'm sorry. The minute I saw his guild mark I should have left."<br>She shrugs at his words,  
>"How do you feel about him?"<br>Harry doesn't hesitate in baring his feelings to Erza. She knows him more than anyone else on this world, he wouldn't ever lie or keep a secret from her.  
>"I think I'm in love."<br>"Okay."  
>"Okay?"<br>"Yeah... Okay."  
>And it was. Erza was just happy that Harry had finally found something other than sex to alleviate his boredom and keep him occupied. The fact that he'd fallen in love along the way just made it all the more sweeter for him.<br>"So what are you going to do about it?"  
>"Nothing."<br>"Nothing?"  
>"Yeah... Nothing."<br>Erza had to suppress her groan. Sometimes her friend was more of an idiot than she supposed. She can only hope that she would never stoop to such low levels of intellect if she should ever fall in love.

It isn't until two years later when Erza finds herself falling head-over-heels crazy-in-love for Lucy Heartfilia that the Fairy Tail Queen has to curse her imitation of Harry. Nothing indeed.


	28. Chapter 28

_"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are look up at the stars."_  
>Oscar Wilde<p>

* * *

><p>Natsu's first attempt to get over Evan ends disasterously. His second is better, but not by much. By the time Natsu reaches lover number seven he knows for certain that no-one will ever be able to match Evan's skills in the bedroom and out. None of them can handle Natsu when he loses control and flames comes to life in his hands. None of them can make Natsu beg for more the way Evan had. None of them can take Natsu to such heights that he thinks he might have died only to bring him back to earth in such a mind-blowing way that it makes him believe that Eden on Earth could actually be possible. The simple fact is that none of them are Evan.<br>A year after their encounter and Natsu is determined that the next time he meets Evan, he will not be letting the man go. The rest of his time is spent cursing out the older man for being such a gentleman. The idiot.

Harry hadn't bothered attempting to get Natsu out of his system. He knew with every fibre of his being that if he waited just a little while longer, Natsu would be his. Call it Fate, Destiny, Karma, it didn't matter; whatever it was, after all the shit that Harry had had to put up with, deal with, he was owed.


	29. Chapter 29

_"If this is God's idea of a prank then he's incompetent, bumbling and malicious."_  
>Bitter Virgin<p>

* * *

><p>Harry is half-way across the country when hears about the Phantom Lord guild attacking Fairy Tail. He has business dealings and it takes him half a day before he can leave. By the time dawn breaks over the horizon, Harry has gathered enough magic to take him back to Magnolia. It seemed that the further the distance, the more magic he needed to channel both into his magic circle to create the vortex and into his body so that he could handle the transition. It usually didn't bother him when he was only travelling from town to town, but Magnolia was over a month's journey away from where he was at that moment.<p>

When he reaches Magnolia, Evan Harrison stops by Mona's bakery to enquire about the commotion.  
>"Absolutely terrible, it was. Buildings crashing and falling and all that magic flying every which way. Honestly, you'd think the council would have a little more of a leash over those wizards, ya know."<br>Evan hummed in agreement, eating a fresh sandwich as he waited for her to continue.  
>"But those Phantom Lord wizards had it coming. I hear they fired some kind of magic cannon at that young Miss Scarlet."<br>His face doesn't betray him when Evan's pulse quickens. He turns a sincere smile towards Mona, the local gossip.  
>"She okay?"<br>"Resting up at the hospital, she is. I hope she's okay, she's such a nice young woman. So much more polite than the rest of that guild."  
>Evan is quick to exit the establishment and make his way towards the hospital.<p>

When Erza wakes , Harry is idly sitting next to her hospital bed flipping through a magazine with Mirajane on the cover.  
>"How long have you been here?"<br>"Not long."  
>She frowns. His clothes are wrinkled, his face is haggard and there are bags under his eyes.<br>"Liar."  
>He smiles when she calls him on his bluff.<br>"The doctor just left. Most of the damage was from magical exhaustion. You've been asleep for over 12 hours so you should be fine. The cuts and bruises are healing normally. You're being discharged tomorrow morning."  
>Erza eases herself up to lean against the head-board. She is quiet for a long time before she starts her confession,<br>"Lucy's father hired them to retrieve her. She blames herself for the attack."  
>"Is it her fault?"<br>"No. Phantom Lord were waiting for any kind of reason to attack us. She was just the excuse."  
>"Hmm."<br>Erza's eyes close and she basks in the sense of peace that descends over the both of them.  
>"The first time they managed to kidnap her... I almost thought I was going to die. I couldn't protect her, I was useless."<br>"You protected her in the end though. That's all that matters."  
>She shakes her head,<br>"It wasn't me. It was all of us."  
>"Rumour says otherwise. Apparently you took the brunt of a magic cannon at point black range for that girl. If that doesn't show devotion then I don't know what does."<br>She smiles at his teasing tone but can't find any strength in her to blush at the insinuation. Her eyes are still closed when Harry takes her hand and presses it to his lips in a chaste kiss.  
>"You had me worried."<br>"Sorry." She grins.

When Lucy stumbles into the scene, she freezes.  
>There is a black-haired man at Erza's side holding one of her hands as he stares with such intensity at the Fairy Tail Queen's face that Lucy thinks it should be a sin for someone to look so lovingly at someone else. He's breath-taking, beautiful, but so is the woman he is seated next to. As Erza's eyes flutter open and she smiles back at him, Lucy can only hear the roaring of her blood rushing through her ears.<br>When she walks out of the hospital she tries to fight back the tears. Running into Natsu and Happy doesn't make it any easier. She's faking it as best as she can when she prods them in the direction of their guild house currently under construction.  
>"Erza's asleep, so no visitors. Go make yourselves useful and help with the building."<br>It isn't until she is esconsed in the safety of her apartment that Lucy lets the tears fall.  
>She'd been growing closer with Erza the longer she stayed at the guild. There was something intoxicating about the red-haired wizard that drew Lucy in, captivated her until she was sure that she couldn't breathe unless she was near Erza, next to her, being acknowledged by her.<br>It had hurt seeing her with the green-eyed man. That's all she can think of when she eventually passes out on her bed, tears streaking her pale face.


	30. Chapter 30

_"Ah, so that's what it looks like. Someone falling in love for the first time."_  
>Honey and Clover<p>

* * *

><p>They were meant to have coffee the day of Erza's discharge from the hospital. When Erza slams through the door of the establishment, gasping for breath, Harry realizes that coffee was not on the agenda. It's the first time Harry has ever seen Erza like this in public. Her guard is down and her emotions are bare. She's worried and hurt and the culmination of it all makes her look as if she's about to be sick. Beneath it all though, there is fear.<br>"Lucy went back to her father. She said she was going home."  
>Erza almost trembles when she mutters the last word and Harry can't blame her. She is afraid that Lucy will be gone. Forever.<br>"You going to get her back?"  
>His tone is easy and light, showing her his support without outright saying it.<br>When she nods, determination glints darkly in her eyes. The fear is still there as well, but Harry can see that instead of it debilitating her, it is only making Erza stronger, more determined than ever to bring Lucy back to Fairy Tail, her real home.  
>"Cool, raincheck then. I've got some dealings in Lupinus that I need to take care of."<br>She doesn't bother saying bye when she dashes out of the coffee house and Harry can only smile in the wake of her abrupt departure.  
>It seems he wasn't the only one that had fallen hard.<p> 


	31. Chapter 31

_"I am not afraid to keep on living."_  
>My Chemical Romance<p>

* * *

><p>"... and then I ran into Leo this morning and he gave me a ticket to Akane Island."<br>"When do you leave?"  
>"I'm going to go home and pack, then stop by the guild to track down the rest of the team."<br>"Sounds fun."  
>They settle for silence but something doesn't sit well with what Harry has just heard.<br>There is a crawling beneath the surface of his skin; he's tempted to tell her not to go, to stay; but he doesn't. Erza was a big girl, she knew how to look after herself. All he could really do was let her handle whatever Fate was set to throw at her and be there when she got back. He hadn't heard any odd whisperings in the Underground circles or the general rumour mill. Perhaps paranoia was starting to set in early on in this life.  
>When she stands to leave, Harry hugs her.<br>"Stay safe."  
>She smiles into his shoulder,<br>"Of course."

A week later and Harry is back in the same hospital staring blankly at a red-faced Erza.  
>"This feels strangely familiar."<br>Harry finds the humour in the situation because Erza has already had enough of the drama and the stress and the pain of having to relive her past. She's stronger for it; Harry knows because she hasn't requipped into armour despite the fact that she's just about to be discharged. An Erza without armour was a woman who felt at home and safe.


	32. Chapter 32

_"There is no such thing in this world as coincidence, there is but that which is fated to be."_  
>XXXholic<p>

* * *

><p>The job starts off as a simple Search and Retrieve. An up and coming merchant family had been terrorized by pirates just as they had left Hageon Port. In the skirmish their daughter had been kidnapped and sold to a slave-trader. The profit was a fair tidy sum and all they had to do was track down the daughter and return her to the family. Double if they succeeded in under two weeks. It was meant to be a piece of cake... Only it wasn't.<p>

They'd travelled to Hageon only to find the pirate ship had been torched out at sea and no-one knew who the ship was owned by. They'd tried questioning local civilians about any rumours about a slave-trader but they were all tight-lipped and denied any knowledge of it. Every lead they had led to a dead-end.

"We're never going to get anywhere with this."  
>Surprisingly, it was the same diner that Lucy, Natsu and Happy had first had their first meal together.<br>"We'll just have to keep trying." Erza encouraged, trying to keep the team's spirits up.

One week later and they still hadn't made any progress. Lucy was starting to get antsy and worried about what the daughter might be suffering through; because of this Erza was in a bad mood and that resulted in Natsu, Happy and Gray having less than a fun time at the port town. It is only when they run into Cana Alberona who is running a solo mission that they think they might have a possible lead to follow through.

"So what are you doing here anyway?" Natsu drawls as he sprawls himself over one of the beds in their hotel room.  
>It's not surprising that a bottle of wine dangles from Cana's hands as she lounges in an arm chair.<br>"Following a trail. Unfortunately it went cold a few days ago. I was just heading out to Crocus when I saw you guys."  
>"What's in Crocus?" Lucy's curiosity is piqued when the capital is mentioned.<br>Cana takes a swig from the mouth of the bottle before she answers,  
>"My client asked me to track down some guy that apparently has some pretty far-reaching connections."<br>"Really?" Happy, perched on Lucy's head, leans forward in eager anticipation, waiting for more.  
>"Yeah. Supposedly he's the person you go to when you need information that isn't circulated to the wider majority. As far as I can tell, my client's looking for something. He seemed quite certain that the person I'm meant to be tracking down will know where to find it."<br>Gray's eyes meet Erza's and it doesn't take a mind reader to know where their thoughts are headed.  
>"Do you think he'd know anything about some slave-traders?"<br>"The job you're on now, right?" Cana smirks. "Yeah, don't see why not. I've already tracked him through four towns, so he's been around. If he's as good as my client thinks he is then for sure he'll have some information to help you guys."  
>"Where will you be after you find him? We'd like a chance to talk to him before you hand him over to your client." It's the only lead they've got and by this point Erza is desperate.<br>"Head back to Magnolia, I'll meet you guys back at the guild house."


	33. Chapter 33

_"It's a bad habit of mine. When I concentrate on one thing, I forget other important things."_  
>Hana Yori Dango<p>

* * *

><p>Lord Drexler, the same lord who had tried to marry off his eldest daughter to Eridanus months earlier, was currently missing a daughter; the stolen ship that had once belonged to an acquaintance of Evan's had gone up in flames a few miles out of Hageon Port and the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping of Alyssa Drexler were starting to look shadier by the minute.<p>

"And what exactly do you expect me to do about it?"  
>30 year old Lord Eridanus Black turned baleful eyes towards Lady Carmichael.<br>"Make some discreet enquiries, find out the truth."  
>"Why?"<br>In all honesty Eridanus had no care for the matter. It was public knowledge that he had business dealings with Drexler but if it came down to it he didn't see any problem in pulling funding from Drexler's companies and diverting it elsewhere.  
>"Please. As a favour to me."<br>She's imploring when she stares at him and Eridanus has to curse his rotten luck at being such a sucker for a pretty face.  
>"Fine."<br>Her look of relief just makes Eridanus want to punch himself.

That was how, four days later, Eridanus had found himself in Crocus, the capital of Fiore.

He walked out of the Records building and frowned. It had been far easier than he'd thought to access all the information that he'd needed and the conclusion had made him just a little bit sick. Ducking into a deserted alley, he dispells the illusion of Lord Black.  
>Long back hair shortens drastically in length and his height starts to gradually decrease. In the place of a 30 year old Lord is now a 20 year old blank-faced Evan Harrison. He shifts his shoulders and pours magic into his clothes until they too have shrunk and are once again fitted. The last action he takes is to remove his bulky glasses and tuck them into a pocket.<br>If one looked close enough, it was easy to see that the only difference between Evan Harrison and Eridanus Black, besides the glasses, were their ages. It was lucky that the average person never looked further than Eridanus' glasses and that Eridanus and Evan ran in completely different circles.

It is just as he is walking out of the main city's gates that Evan Harrison is kidnapped by Cana Alberona.

"Excuse me, sir?"  
>The woman in front of him is brunette and wearing low hip hugging pants with a bikini top that leaves nothing to the imagination. She is incredibly good looking, but she's not Natsu, which means she's not Harry's type.<br>"You wouldn't happen to be Evan Harrison, would you?"  
>"Depends who's asking."<br>A quirk of her lips and all of sudden Harry's vision goes black.

When he comes to, there is a bag over his head and his hands and feet are tied. It should bother him that he's just been kidnapped; it doesn't. He's being carried over the shoulder of someone and he wriggles to let them know that he's awake. It takes a few minutes before the person stops and sets Harry on the ground. When the bag is pulled from his head, Harry grins.  
>"Am I being kidnapped?"<br>The woman returns the smile sardonically.  
>"I'm from Fairy Tail, my name's Cana."<br>Sure enough Harry can see her guild mark clear as day.  
>"Well, you know who I am. Wanna tell me what you plan to do with me?"<br>"A client hired me to find you."  
>He feels like he's forgotten something very important but Harry just nods and decides to go with the flow. It could be worse.<p> 


	34. Chapter 34

_"... this jacked-up, sideways ridiculousness is the normal state?"_  
>Bleach<p>

* * *

><p>A few days in Magnolia and it's obvious to the rest of the team that it's not just the case that agitates Erza. She's almost worn a hole in the wooden floors from all the pacing she's been doing, but they don't call her on it.<p>

Five months. That's how long it had been since Erza had last seen Harry. She was starting to get worried. It was the longest period of time that he'd stayed away from her without any word and she didn't like it. She promised herself that the minute they found the Drexler girl, she was going to take some time off and track down her wayward friend herself.

They've been in Magnolia for five days when Cana finally barges through the door, a bound figure hanging limply from her shoulder.  
>"Finally." Gray growls.<br>"Took me a while, but finally managed to find him." Cana's grinning quite widely when she deposits the man into a chair and starts retying the ropes to keep him bound.  
>She turns to Erza and Natsu with absolute seriousness when she's done,<br>"You've only got an hour at the most. My client was quite adamant that I get him back as soon as possible. I wouldn't be surprised if he's paid a few people to keep an eye out for my return."  
>"Thanks!" Natsu nods.<br>Cana takes a seat on a nearby table and gestures for Mirajane to roll over a barrel of ale. At the very least the interrogation might be entertaining.

Harry liked Cana. To be precise, he liked her as much as he could considering she'd taken him without consent. She was nice, fairly good at keeping up a decent conversation and she hadn't tried to kill him. What Harry didn't like about her, were the methods that she used to keep him a prisoner. She only took off the bag over his head when she stopped for breaks to relieve the bladder and to eat. Other than those few precious hours, Cana kept him knocked out and unconscious through a combination of magic and pure brute strength. He supposed that he could have tried harder in attempting to escape, but Harry was kind of liking this whole kidnapping ordeal. To be truthful it had been a few years since his last real adventure, two years since he'd last had sex (two years since Natsu) and this brief intermission of excitement was quite welcome in his opinion.

Harry comes to when ice cold water is dumped over his still covered head. He blinks in the darkness and realizes that he's sitting down on a very uncomfortable wooden chair. His hands are bound behind his back and roped to the back of the seat; likewise, his feet are also attached with rope to the legs of the chair. He can hear people talking around him and there is one voice that strikes Harry as vaguely familiar. He straightens in the chair to let his captors know that he's conscious now.

The covering over his head is ripped off and Harry has to blink away the dots that appear in his vision and then blink away the drops of water that fall into his eyes. He can just make out the vague shapes of four figures towering over him when he hears the tinkling of breaking glass and the same familiar voice,  
>"Harry?"<br>The world finally shifts sharply into focus and Harry meets the eyes of a very shocked Erza. Tossing his head once to flick away some errant droplets, it dawns on him that it's been months since he last checked in with her and that it was quite rude of him not to at least let her know that he was safe, though busy.  
>"Hello, gorgeous." He winks at her when he adds a cheeky grin, "Been a while, hasn't it?"<p> 


	35. Chapter 35

_"My first impression of this group is... You're all a bunch of idiots."  
><em>Naruto

* * *

><p>When Erza drops the empty glass and it shatters on the floor, Cana's eyes narrow and she lowers the barrel of ale to the floor. It was hard to render Erza speechless and it is the first time in Cana's life that she has ever seen the red-haired look so surprised.<p>

Natsu's heart leaps to his throat when he hears Evan's voice, warm and comforting as it addresses Erza. It's been two years since their brief love-affair and Natsu fights hard to keep the blush off his face when the memories of their time together slams itself into the forefront of his mind.

When Natsu freezes beneath him, Happy peers down into the face of his partner. Perhaps Natsu knew this man? Contemplation crosses the diminuitive cat's face. He'd ask Natsu about the stranger later.

Lucy's breath stops when she see's his face and dread fills her when she hears his words.

Harry's not at all shocked when he notices the surprised face of Natsu over Erza's shoulder. Seems Fate had decided to pay him back earlier rather than later. He grins inwardly at the thought.

"You know Erza?"  
>It seems that Gray, the ice-user that Erza was fond of, had taken it upon himself to lead the interrogation.<br>Harry ignores him momentarily before raking his eyes over the beer-hall of the guild and alighting on his kidnapper.  
>"Cana! I thought we were going to see your client. You should have told me before hand that you were going to show me off to your friends."<br>Cana snorts at his words.  
>"I'll take you to my client after you answer their questions." She replies, nodding towards Erza and her team of wizards.<br>Harry pouts a little at her words but turns back to Gray nonetheless.  
>"Evan Harrison." He says, introducing himself, "How can I be of service?"<br>"What do you know about a slave-trader in Hageon and the disappearance of Alyssa Drexler."  
>Harry marvels at the intricacies of Fate. Apparently they were more linked to each other than he had thought.<br>"Depends. What's in it for me?"  
>Gray's eyebrow twitches in annoyance and just as a magic circle flares to life in hands, Erza knocks him aside.<br>Her sword moves faster than the eye can see and in seconds the ropes are nothing more than shredded pieces of twince on the floor.  
>"Harry, what do you know about the kidnapping of Alyssa Drexler?"<br>Harry doesn't take offence at Erza's tone. He rubs at the chafing on his wrists when he makes eye-contact with her.  
>"Are you asking me as a wizard, or as a friend?"<br>The entire guild is silent as they watch the exchange unfold.  
>"If I asked you as a wizard?"<br>"I'd be obligated to tell you that I have no idea what you're talking about."  
>Erza doesn't miss a beat when she replies,<br>"And if I asked you as a friend?"  
>"Well... That would be different now, wouldn't it?"<br>It seemed that Fate had decided to intervene yet again and in an instant, the world around them exploded.


	36. Chapter 36

_"Just smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave."_  
>Madagascar<p>

* * *

><p>Cana hadn't expected her client to have acted so quickly.<br>When the man storms through the gaping hole where the guild door used to be, Cana is almsot tempted to groan.  
>"Mr. Elbak-"<br>Her sentence is cut off when a bag of gold coins flies through the air and lands in her lap.  
>"Thank you for your work, Ms. Alberona. I can take it from here."<br>He's surrounded by armed guards, none of them part of the Fiore army so she assumes that they are his personal detail.  
>"Evan."<br>When he turns to face Elbak, there is a small grin on his lips that greatly contrasts the glint in his eye that is far from welcoming.  
>"Carlisle Elbak, aren't you a sight for sore eyes."<br>The man nods in greeting.  
>"Funny... The last time I saw you, I was falling off a cliff after you sold me out to Therese and her henchmen."<br>Elbak looks almost ashamed at the words,  
>"Yes, well that's all in the past now, isn't it?"<br>Harry only hums at the words.  
>"I'm here to ask you a favour on behalf of my daughter, Cecile."<br>Harry's eyes narrow but he doesn't say anything. He had history with both of them; though with Cecile it had been much more pleasant.  
>"Perhaps we could take this conversation somewhere more private?"<p>

Five minutes later and they're situated in an empty room, just the two of them.  
>"Cecile... She's dying. Therese lied when she said she had an antidote to the poison. I... I've tried everything, Evan. Please... You have to help me."<br>Harry's tempted to say no, but he can't. Cecile had helped him frequently over the past few years and he'd been devastated when she'd confessed that she had limited time on the Earth due to a poison that lingered in her system after a botched attempt by an assassin to take her fathers life.  
>"Please... I'll-I'll pay you anything, anything you ask. Just... Please... Please help me."<br>He's crying now, face buried in his hands as sobs wrench through his body. Morgana, Harry had always been a sucker for tears.  
>"Look. I can't help you, because I don't know anything about poisons or their antidotes."<br>The devestation of Elbak's face is so much more heart-breaking than his tears were. It wasn't pleasant seeing a grown man cry.  
>"There's a house to the east of Hageon, about 3 days walk. There's a woman there, Helena, that plays a mean game of poker. Tell her that I'll pay for your buy in the next time I see her."<br>"P-Poker? H-How is that meant to help?"  
>The older man is absolutely miserable in his despair.<br>"Helena doesn't play for money. She plays for years."  
>"W-What?"<br>When Harry shoo's the man out of the room and starts forcing him towards the gaping hole of Fairy Tail, he is grasped by his forearms.  
>"Th-Thank you. Thank you. I swear, I'll never forget this, I-"<br>"Seriously, just go see her. Don't take any guards with you, just a photo of Cecile."  
>In the wake of the retreat of Elbak and his guards, Harry turns to Erza. She's not impressed and he cringes inwardly at the rant that will mostly likely be coming. He decides to go for gold when he throws all of his charm and charisma into an award-winning smile that would have melted the heart of Hades himself. He points idly to the crumbling concrete behind him and smiles for all he's worth,<br>"I'll pay for that."


	37. Chapter 37

_"Victims. Aren't we all?"_  
>The Crow<p>

* * *

><p>"How do you know Erza?"<br>Cana is the first to break the silence when they all take a seat around the table she'd been perched upon. Mirajane had wandered off to attend to the other guild members.  
>"We're friends."<br>Harry laughs at Erza's short reply.  
>"We go way back." He grins, "Known her since before she joined Fairy Tail."<br>"Really?" Even Cana can remember the solemn and gaunt Erza that had first appeared at the guilds door, ragged and righteous all wrapped up in a tiny body that belied her strength.  
>"Yep."<br>"Enough chit chat. Harry, what do you know about Alyssa Drexler."  
>Harry's tempted to not answer, but this is Erza he's talking to and he decides to come clean. He makes himself comfortable and reclines in his chair. In the process his foot accidentally brushes against the ankle of Natsu and when he see's the boy jump at the contact, he lets his limb wander higher and higher as the tale unfolds,<br>"She's dead. She died in an accident one month ago. Her father covered up her death to cash in on Alyssa's inheritance."  
>As Natsu's face steadily turns brighter, Harry bites back a grin. It's hardly appropriate, but he can't seem to bring it in him to care.<br>"Drexler's first wife had a stipulation in her will that Alyssa's inheritance would only pass to Drexler on the condition that Alyssa was over 21 years of age when she died and unmarried."  
>"Wh-What?" Harry isn't sure if it's fear or disgust that makes Lucy's voice waver.<br>"Alyssa was meant to turn 21 in three weeks. Drexler hired you to find his daughter whilst he pretended to act the part of grieving father. He was going to have you find her dead body in three weeks and then claim the inheritance ."  
>He eyes Erza contemplatively,<br>"He would have gotten away with it if hadn't been for the fact that Alyssa was having an affair with Lady Carmichael and the Lady had noticed Alyssa's disappearance a month ago when she failed to show up at one of their secret rendezvous'. Carmichael had one of the western Lords take a look into Alyssa's disappearance."  
>Actually Carmichael had asked Eridanus to look into the disappearance and Eridanus was of course just another face of Evan Harrison. He found it semi-odd mentioning himself in third person. This was the first time that his two lives had ever crossed each other.<br>"But what about the pirate ship that attacked them?"  
>"The pirate ship was stolen from a local drug-dealer last year. Apparently Drexler had a side business where he'd take in stolen boats, strip them down and then re-model them before selling them to the highest bidder. The pirate ship happened to be one of the boats that hadn't been remodelled yet."<br>"And the slave-trader?"  
>"A rumour. None of the slave-traders are idiotic enough to operate anywhere near Hageon."<br>"How the hell would you know that?" Gray is preturbed by the information that flows so freely from Evan's mouth. They'd wasted days trying to track down even a hint of possible information that could help them, and here was this random stranger who'd done what they couldn't: solve the mystery of Alyssa Drexler's kidnapping.  
>"I'm Evan Harrison. It's my business to know things."<p> 


	38. Chapter 38

_"Get me with those green eyes, baby, as the lights go down,  
>Give me something that'll haunt me when your not around."<em>  
>Taylor Swift<p>

* * *

><p>It took two days before the news had reached them back in Magnolia. Lord Drexler had been stripped of his rank and sentenced to 3 years in jail. In had gone without saying that their mission had been a total bust.<br>Harry had left not too long after his explanation, but not before kissing Erza on the cheek and apologising for his months of silence. And definitely not before dragging Natsu into a dark corner and lazily flicking a magic circle around them, shielding the two from prying eyes.

When Harry pins Natsu against a wall, the Dragon Slayer fights tooth and nail to free himself. Harry nips at his neck and Natsu stops struggling.  
>"What's your relationship with Erza?"<br>Natsu is unnaturally still beneath him and Harry laughs into the boys ear.  
>"Are you jealous, Natsu?"<br>The pink-haired boy shudders at the way Harry practically purs his name but he steels his resolve and pushes Harry away enough so that they can make eye contact and Harry can see that Natsu is far from pleased. He cups the younger boy's face in his hand and leans his head in until their foreheads are touching.  
>"Erza means the world to me. She's practically my sister."<br>Natsu's eyes close in relief, "Is that all?"  
>"Yes."<br>There is no defiance when Harry leans into the smaller body, tipping Natsu's face upward and capturing his lips in a lingering kiss. Harry's eyes are open when he delves deeper into the welcoming tongue and he tries to imprint this very moment into his mind.  
>It feels as if the last piece of a jigsaw has finally slipped into place and Harry can only think that he has waited through two lifetimes to feel this happy, this complete. There isn't any rhyme or reason to it, they haven't even known each other for longer than a week and even then it's been two years since they last saw each other; but Harry has always known himself and he knows that despite it all, he's in love with Natsu.<br>"I have to leave."  
>Natsu growls when he grabs Harry's shirt and pulls him closer,<br>"Like hell you are!"  
>His only response is laughter and Harry kisses away the petulant frown on his lover's face. Eyes shining brightly and it dawns on Natsu that the emerald green of Evan's eyes has to be his favourite colour in the world.<br>"I have to. I've got business to attend to."  
>The next time they kiss it is furious and blazing and passionate. Harry groans when it ends and he pushes his body flush against Natsu until they are chest to chest, nose to nose.<br>"You're going to be the death of me."  
>It is low and growling and laced with so much pent up sexual frustration that Natsu only grins.<p> 


	39. Chapter 39

_"Duty... Hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be."  
><em>Douglas MacArthur

* * *

><p>"And what do I get in return?"<br>The claws clasped tightly around his body ease its grip and once again he can breathe.  
>"Your life should be enough."<br>He scoffs at the words as they rumble through the air and blue eyes narrow at the hulking dragon that holds his life in its clawed hands, literally.  
>"You are here because you died to protect something, did you not?"<br>There is blackness around them and they are floating in nothingness. He's been here for so long that sometimes he forgets that once upon a time, there was more.  
>"Would you agree to this if I promised you that that which you sought to protect will be yours once you have completed my task?"<br>"... I would agree to that."  
>"Then complete my task and I promise that it will lead you to what you seek to keep protected. Do we have an accord?"<br>He doesn't hesitate when he accepts the task; not even when he can feel his magic swell around them to seal the contract with their very souls.  
>The dragon is twice as large as a Hungarian Horntail and three times as dangerous; no sane man would accept a pact with it, but he is a man on a mission and he has never been called 'sane' in his life. He remembers that before the blackness, the nothingness, there had been a boy that he had given his life to save. Despite his circumstances he knows, feels it in his very soul, that he needs to be where that boy is, protecting him as his duty dictated.<br>"This better be a promise that you can keep, Igneel."


End file.
